Two voices spoke up simultaneously, and Yan Chi and Qin Guan turned to look at each other.
A spark of recognition flashed in both their eyes—neither had expected the other to say the same thing.
Jiang Shi frowned slightly, first surprised, then turned her gaze to Qin Guan and Yan Chi. "He lied? How so?"
Yan Chi narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze deep and inscrutable. "Please explain, Ninth Miss."
Qin Guan's lips twitched, but she shifted her gaze to Yue Ning instead. "I believe it’s not just the Crown Prince and myself who noticed. The young lady and the Marquis inside the room must also be aware that this Wei Wu has lied."
A glimmer of realization flickered in Jiang Shi's eyes as she turned to Yue Ning.
Yue Ning had initially only furrowed her brows, sensing something amiss. But hearing both Yan Chi and Qin Guan voice the same suspicion confirmed her doubts. Meeting Jiang Shi's questioning gaze, she finally spoke. "Mother, you don’t practice martial arts and have never been in a fight. Listening to this man, you’d only assume the two had a scuffle without detecting the problem..."
Jiang Shi nodded. "That’s true."
Yue Ning glanced at Yan Chi and Qin Guan. "This man claims that Second Brother grabbed the deceased by the shoulders, twisted him, and kicked him to his knees. For such a move, Second Brother would have had to twist his arms behind his back, forcing the deceased to face away before being kicked down."
After speaking, Yue Ning looked at Qin Guan, clearly expecting her to continue.
Qin Guan obliged. "The deceased was impulsive enough to fight Second Young Master. Once subdued and realizing his opponent’s skill, he wouldn’t have dared to provoke further. With his back turned, his first instinct upon standing would have been to flee. Yet Wei Wu claims he was kicked in the chest the moment he got up..."
Jiang Shi froze, her expression shifting through several emotions before comprehension dawned. "If he had just gotten up, his back would still be facing Qing’er. Even if Qing’er kicked him, it would have been on his back, not his chest..."
Qin Guan and the others nodded. Jiang Shi still seemed hesitant. "But... could it be that he misspoke in the heat of the moment...?"
Yan Chi stepped forward, also moving to the window to peer inside. The corridor where they stood was dimly lit, allowing them a clear view of the room’s occupants while remaining unnoticed. From their vantage point, they faced Yue Qiong seated at the head of the room, with Wei Wu and the others flanking him on either side, all turned toward the Marquis and oblivious to the observers outside.
Yan Chi said, "Listen, Madam. Wei Wu recounted every detail with clarity and coherence. It makes no sense for him to slip up here. The only explanation is that he lied—poorly—because he lacks expertise in martial arts."
Sure enough, inside the room, Wei Wu continued his account. "Second Young Master is highly skilled. It was clear he held back, but Brother Lin was dazed and refused to yield. Second Young Master then struck him four times in the ribs—"
"Four times? How do you remember so precisely?"
Yue Qiong’s tone was calm as he posed the question. Wei Wu hurried to explain, "Because someone recognized Second Young Master’s identity at the time. We felt it was inappropriate and kept trying to intervene, so we watched closely."
Wei Wu glanced at the others, who promptly nodded in agreement.
Jiang Shi’s face still held traces of doubt. "This... He may have slipped up in his wording, but that doesn’t prove he lied outright. And why would he lie?"
At this point, drawing from her past experiences, Qin Guan couldn’t shake the feeling that this incident wasn’t as simple as Second Young Master beating someone to death. Scenes from her travels with her father resurfaced in her mind.
If it were her father, what would he do?"Madam." After a short while, Qin Guan spoke again, "There's a way to find out if he's lying."
Jiang Shi eagerly asked, "What method?"
Qin Guan then looked around the room, scanning Wei Wu up and down. "When people lie, they always have subconscious movements. With enough observation, you'll notice these subconscious actions are common to everyone when they lie."
After a brief pause, Qin Guan continued, "Madam just needs to have the Marquis ask about the earlier inconsistency. If Wei Wu is lying, his expression and demeanor will definitely change."
Qin Guan narrowed her eyes. "His gaze will drop, his eyelids will droop, and he'll lean forward slightly with tension. Right now, his hands are hanging by his sides, and his feet are pointing toward the Marquis. If he's lying, his hands might rest on his knees, indicating he wants to end the questioning. His toes will also point toward the door, showing he wants to escape the current situation."
Jiang Shi's eyes widened, while Yan Chi and Yue Ning beside her looked at Qin Guan in disbelief.
Human behaviors are incredibly varied—how could Qin Guan be so certain about Wei Wu's reactions?
Qin Guan smiled slightly. "Madam can give it a try. Perhaps my predictions won't be accurate."
Having witnessed Qin Guan's medical skills, Jiang Shi trusted her completely. She sighed in admiration while beckoning Lü Yun over. Following Qin Guan's instructions, Jiang Shi whispered to Lü Yun, who then entered the side hall under the pretense of serving tea.
Outside the window, everyone saw Yue Qiong frown slightly upon hearing Lü Yun's words, then glance casually toward the window. Only after Lü Yun left did Yue Qiong's expression return to normal.
"Marquis? Did something happen?"
Wei Wu, sharp as ever, noticed the exchange and took the initiative to ask.
Yue Qiong sighed. "Governor Huo is delayed by some matters. I'm afraid he won't arrive for another hour."
Wei Wu nodded readily, putting on a magnanimous and agreeable demeanor, even offering an ingratiating smile. "No problem. Since the Marquis is willing to uphold justice for Brother Lin, what's waiting an hour or two for us brothers?"
Yue Qiong nodded but suddenly asked, "Brother Wei, you mentioned earlier that my son kicked Brother Lin in the chest. Could you specify where exactly the kick landed?"
Wei Wu's smile froze. His gaze dropped instantly, his eyelids drooping as his body hunched forward slightly. He spoke slowly, as if recalling, "Well, it was probably—"
As he spoke, his hand half-clenched into a fist and rested on his knee, his body shifting uncomfortably. Sure enough, the toes of one foot subtly turned toward the door.
"Probably around here..."
In the blink of an eye, every reaction Qin Guan had predicted manifested in Wei Wu. Inside the room, Yue Qiong watched as Wei Wu placed his hand over his own left chest. Outside, Jiang Shi and the others stared at Qin Guan with bright, astonished eyes.
"Guan'er, you're truly prophetic!"
Jiang Shi grabbed Qin Guan's wrist. "Guan'er, does this confirm he's lying?"
Qin Guan looked at her reassuringly but apologized, "Madam, not yet."
Jiang Shi frowned. "Why not? Everything you said came true..."
"Behavior and demeanor can only help us speculate whether he's lying. They point us in the right direction to uncover the truth, but to confirm his lies, speculation alone isn't enough. We need more concrete evidence."
Jiang Shi furrowed her brows. "If he's lying, does it relate to this murder case?"Qin Guan nodded, "That's a possibility."
Jiang Shi seemed to see a glimmer of hope. This sixteen-year-old girl not only possessed astonishing medical skills but could also observe people with such meticulous detail. If what she said was true, could there be other hidden circumstances in this case? Would it directly affect the judgment of her Qing'er's guilt?!
Jiang Shi's voice trembled with excitement, "Guan'er, how do we find the evidence?"
Qin Guan's wrist ached from Jiang Shi's tight grip. Meeting Jiang Shi's slightly reddened eyes, Qin Guan suddenly felt a surge of compassion in her heart. Pressing her lips together as if making a firm decision, she said, "The evidence is on the corpse!"
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